not nearly enough time for them all

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For reasons that are not overly important, I do not have Netflix. As a result, I have been waiting to watch Daredevil. I have more than enough television that I can wait until it will be released on Blu-Ray. I have patience. I can wait.

This is what I told myself Saturday morning. How was I to know that by Saturday night I would have watched almost half of them. I guess I have to thank (or perhaps curse) my friend.

To be fair, my friend is a pretty serious Daredevil fan. He has an extensive collection of the comics and at least a few figures. When he goes into comic shops, he utters the words “got it” way more than he sighs “need it.”

Having read this short bio, obviously, you can conclude that my friend has watched the whole series (I should probably let him write a guest blog review–he’s got some writing talent…I will have to think about this). I digress. As I was writing, my friend has obviously seen the whole series, but that did not dampen his enthusiasm to watch it again.

I must say that I liked it. It had a gritty feel to it without being completely contrived. It had great action without resorting to matrix like moves. It also had a hero who was vulnerable, resourceful and full of conviction. In today’s anti-hero world, that doesn’t always come through.

My friend was not only a great host (he supplied the beer and potato chips) but also an incredible asset while viewing. Watching it with my knowledgeable friend was like watching it with “pop-up video” like balloons. He knew even slight characters and could single out comic book references and divergent storylines.

Is television finished?Of course it isn’t, but are we in the midst of its decline?

I was out riding my bike around today, trying to decided if I should buy a new TV.I found a couple that I am interested in, and if I bought them today, I wouldn’t have to pay tax.I couldn’t decide if I should spend 900 bucks on a new TV and sound equipment, or if I should save the money for the cool bike that I want to buy.(feel free to comment–but I have about 1 hour to make this decision).

While riding I stopped to talk to a woman who was also riding, but taking a rest.She mentioned that she loved watching Netflix on her laptop, and was planning on throwing out her TV.I didn’t ask her if she would give it to me, but not that I think about it, maybe I should have.

The point being, I know a lot of people would rather pay a small fee and their internet provider rather than traditional cable.If they had sports on Netflix, I am sure a lot of us would do the same.If they make more TV series for Netflix only, would more people rather watch them?I don’t have the answers to these questions–and I am still wrestling with the TV debate, but I guess only time will tell.Maybe this is the beginning of the end of television as we know it.

I find myself really interested in the TV show Ink Master.Before you say it, yes, I should get back to my hobbies and stop watching TV.I have so many half finished projects that all of the internet should rise up and scold me for not sticking to the topic.I just can’t help myself.And for a lot of people, TV is a hobby.It just shouldn’t be mine.

I watch the show, and I have so many questions.First of all, should you be getting a tattoo with a time limit?I understand the need to put a limit on someone for a television show/competition.Without time pressure these people could certainly all put out some works of art.However, would you want your tattoo artist to feel such pressure?Despite remarkable advances in laser erasing, these things are still pretty permanent.

Next, after getting a tattoo would you really like to hear the experts tell the person who did it that it was an absolute piece of garbage?Yeah, you might have enough self confidence to deflect that…a few times.Imagine if every single person you know (from those you like right down to the complete idiots that you hate) has seen the show and starts echoing those comments–and remember the idiots are not going to be echoing them, they are going to be repeating them word for word.Instead of that stupid “hot enough for ya?” question the idiot usually peppers you with, it will be “why does that spider tattoo have only seven legs?”

I am guessing that there must be some kind of consolation prize for these people.I wonder what it is.I wonder if it could really be enough.Would you get the seven legged spider tattoo if your prize was a Toyota Corolla?Maybe it’s cash.Maybe it is a pre-paid gift card for tattoo removal.Maybe the need to be on television is so great, your skin is really a secondary concern.

I guess I could liken it to a hair cutting show.Your hair grows back, though.Would you sign up for a show called “Practice Surgeon”?What about “rookie fireman”?–I have an image of them setting your house on fire, hoping they can rescue you and put out the fire.

Despite my questions, I will probably tune in tonight before going to bed.Last week I fell asleep, so I have no idea who went home.This isn’t really an obstacle as there will be a recap at the beginning of tonight’s program.

I’ve come to a conclusion–not a shocking conclusion as some would call it, but a conclusion nonetheless.I would rather watch a complete season of a TV series (or the whole series) on DVD or Netflix, rather than watch the standard TV network offering of one show a week for 24 or 26 weeks a year.

Most people would cite the lack of commercials when claiming that this is obvious.They wouldn’t be wrong….exactly.I hate commercials just as much as the next guy, and I am aware that they just aren’t there when I am watching a series on DVD.However, I don’t think that is the main reason.

The main reason, I believe, is a combination of convenience (as I can watch them at my leisure) and confidence that I will see them all.Those seem like small things, but they aren’t.They are huge.

I have watched a number of complete series, and a much larger number of TV seasons.I was lucky that my local library had the first season of Game of Thrones to watch.I have seen all the seasons of Dexter, Warehouse 13 and Being Erica all on DVD, all in the comfort of my own home. I watched all of Alias, Hogan’s Heroes, Buffy, and The Outer Limits.

I generally prefer the library as I do not want to become a collector.I have talked to some people and they suggested “acquiring” these things from the internet and storing them on a massive hard drive.While that would be convenient, I haven’t reached that line yet, so crossing it seems premature.

If I were to become a collector, I am not sure which series I would absolutely have to own.I have a great love of Science Fiction, but does that mean I should stick to that genre?There have been so many great SF series over the years (though not as many lately) that I am not even sure where to start.Most people take a Star Trek series.It’s a fine choice, but I think of myself as somewhat removed from that.I would appreciate a vast Dr. Who collection or Red Dwarf more.I would love a complete Twilight Zone, or Godzilla movie collection.Maybe I am too esoteric for my own good.

I started this blog trying to extol the virtues of watching an entire season of a series on DVD and ended up talking about collecting science fiction DVD’s.I guess we’ll call that par for the course.